It is my pleasure to share one of the great wineries of South Australia. Mollydooker has a sensational, highly creative range of projects — from sparking wines to intense and hedonistic Shiraz. It is hard not to admire the combination of texture, flavor range and flavor density. These are serious wines that are made exceptionally well. They are full throttle wines but always give an err of great freshness on the mouth.
It was an exceedingly short amount of time that Sarah and Sparky Marquis made Mollydooker one of the top wine brands of Australia. Their first wine, the 2005 ‘Carnival of Love’ Shiraz was immediately awarded 99 points by Robert Parker and was sold out in five days. I was amazed with what the produced even in very tough vintages like 2011 as the wines seemed to exceed quality compared to other producers. Sarah Marquis now leads the winery and now has her son, Luke, the ‘Blue Eyed Boy’, leading global sales.
The new lineup is sensational and I adored the new 2022 Mollydooker ‘The Blue Eyed Boy’ Shiraz (OB, 94) which is heady and dense but has a really fabulous acid backbone. Once again I was mesmerized with the inky, hedonistic 2022 Mollydooker ‘The Velvet Glove’ Shiraz (OB, 99) which flirts with perfection and is a decadent treat to enjoy now. Learn more about this famed South Australian winery at https://www.mollydookerwines.com.au/ Here are the beautiful new wines by Mollydooker.
2022 Mollydooker ‘The Scooter’ Merlot- The really good 2022 Mollydooker ‘The Scooter’ Merlot comes from the Long Gully Road vineyard in McLaren Vale. The wine was stored in nearly all American oak (25% new) before bottling. This is ripe and plump on the mouth with good freshness. Juicy red cherry and cola notes combine with coffee grounds on the palate. Drink 2025-2031- 91
2022 Mollydooker ‘Two Left Feet’ Red Wine- A truly unique wine, the 2022 ‘Two Left Feet’ is 70% The Boxer Shiraz, with 15% The Scooter Merlot and 15% The Maitre D’ Cabernet Sauvignon. Stored in nearly all American oak, this delivers juicy red fruits with tobacco leaf accents on the palate, alongside ripe fig and chocolate. Drink 2025-2031- 91
2022 Mollydooker ‘The Maitre D’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 Mollydooker ‘The Maitre D’ Cabernet Sauvignon delivers straightforward black and red fruits alongside green peppercorns and hints of fresh sage on the palate. Enjoy now. Drink 2025-2031- 90
2022 Mollydooker ‘Blue Eyed Boy’ Shiraz- The outstanding 2022 Mollydooker ‘Blue Eyed Boy’ Shiraz was sourced from the Coppermine Road, Gateway, Long Gully Road and Mollydooker Home vineyards in McLaren Vale, and Joppich vineyard in Langhorne Creek. Stored in all American oak (54% new) this is brimming with depth, freshness and polished black fruits alongside Arabica bean and shades of mountain huckleberry on the palate. Exceedingly delicious, offering excellent finesse despite its obvious weight, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2025-2035- 94
2022 Mollydooker ‘Gigglepot’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Named after Holly Marquis, the 2022 ‘Gigglepot’ comes from the Rivers Lane vineyard in McLaren Vale. Stored in 79% American and 21% French oak, this delivers pipe tobacco and leather notes alongside cassis, mocha and tar notes. Complex and delicious, enjoy now and over the next decade. Drink 2025-2035- 93
2022 Mollydooker ‘Enchanted Path’ Red Wine- The sensational 2022 ‘Enchanted Path’ is a gorgeous blend of 70% Shiraz with the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is gorgeous with fresh sage alongside espresso bean, blueberry compote and shades of black licorice. The palate is powerful and intense with a refined texture. Gorgeous now, watch this evolve over the next twelve to fifteen years to come. Drink 2025-2037- 95
2022 Mollydooker ‘Carnival of Love’ Shiraz- Year after year the ‘Carnival of Love’ is one of the astonishingly good Shiraz bottlings for the price out of South Australia, as this wine has not seen a serious price increase in more than a decade (still under 100 bucks USD). This 2022 edition was stored in all new American oak and weights in at 16.5% alcohol but the freshness backing everything up makes this everything but boozy. The weight and pillowy texture really drives this wine as it effortlessly glides throughout the drinking experience. Opulent dark and blue fruits meld effortlessly with dark chocolate shavings, graphite, scorched earth and shades of sweet pipe tobacco on the palate. This is a joy to drink. Drink 2025-2040- 97
2022 Mollydooker ‘The Velvet Glove’ Shiraz- The stunning 2022 ‘The Velvet Glove’ is a stunning wine coming from the Gateway Vineyard in McLaren Vale. Stored in all new American oak barrels before bottling, this delivers a glass-staining purple, with blueberry pie and boysenberry cordial notes alongside tar, anise, Cuban cigar and suggestions of Black Forest cake on the nose. The absolutely gorgeous aromatics bring you back to the glass for more hedonistic pleasure. This is obviously big, bold and heady, but has remarkable freshness and seamless texture. This is very weightless stuff that will have a long life ahead of it. But why wait? Drink 2025-2040- 99